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Then turning to Beauty, he said.
Take your father into the next room, and help himto choose everything you think your brothers andsisters would like to have.
You will find two traveling trunks there, fillthem as full as you can.
It is only just that you should send themsomething very precious as a remembrance ofyourself.
Then he went away, after saying, goodbye, Beauty,goodbye, old man, and though Beauty was beginningto think with great dismay of her father'sdeparture, she was afraid to disobey the beast'sorders, and they went into the next room,
which had shelves and cupboards all round it.
They were greatly surprised at the riches itcontained.
There were splendid dresses fit for a queen, withall the ornaments that were to be worn with them,and when Beauty opened the cupboard she was quitedazzled by the gorgeous jewels that lay in heapsupon every shelf.
After choosing a vast quantity, which she dividedbetween her sisters, for she had made a heap ofthe wonderful dresses for each of them, she openedthe last chest, which was full of gold.
I think, father, she said, that, as the gold willbe more useful to you, we had better take out theother things again, and fill the trunks with it.
So they did this, but the more they put in themore room there seemed to be, and at last they putback all the jewels and dresses they had takenout, and Beauty even added as many more of thejewels as she could carry at once, and then the trunks were not too full, but they were so heavythat an elephant could not have carried them.
The Beast was mocking us, cried the merchant, hemust have pretended to give us all these things,knowing that I could not carry them away.
Let us wait and see, answered Beauty.
I cannot believe that he meant to deceive us.
All we can do is to fasten them up and leave themready.
So they did this and returned to the little room,where, to their astonishment, they found breakfastready.
The merchant ate his with a good appetite, as theBeast's generosity made him believe that he mightperhaps venture to come back soon and see Beauty.
But she felt sure that her father was leaving herforever, so she was very sad when the bell rangsharply for the second time, and warned them thatthe time had come for them to part.
They went down into the courtyard, where twohorses were waiting, one loaded with the two trunks, the other for him to ride.
They were pawing the ground in their impatience tostart, and the merchant was forced to bid Beauty ahasty farewell, and as soon as he was mounted hewent off at such a pace that she lost sight of himin an instant.
Then Beauty began to cry, and wandered sadly backto her own room.
But she soon found that she was very sleepy, andas she had nothing better to do she lay down andinstantly fell asleep.
And then she dreamed that she was walking by a brook bordered with trees, and lamenting her sadfate, when a young prince, handsomer than anyoneshe had ever seen, and with a voice that wentstraight to her heart, came and said to her,
Ah, Beauty! You are not so unfortunate as yousuppose. Here you will be rewarded for all youhave suffered elsewhere. Your every wish shall begratified. Only try to find me out, no matter howI may be disguised, as I love you dearly, and inmaking me happy you will find your own happiness.
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Be as true-hearted as you are beautiful, and weshall have nothing left to wish for."
What can I do, Prince, to make you happy? saidBeauty.
Only be grateful, he answered, and do not trusttoo much to your eyes. And, above all, do notdesert me until you have saved me from my cruelmisery.
After this she thought she found herself in a roomwith a stately and beautiful lady, who said toher.
Dear Beauty, try not to regret all you have leftbehind you, for you are destined to a better fate.Only do not let yourself be deceived byappearances.
Beauty found her dreams so interesting that shewas in no hurry to awake, but presently the clockroused her by calling her name softly twelvetimes, and then she got up and found her dressing-table set out with everything she could possiblywant, and when her toilet was finished she founddinner was waiting in the room next to hers.
But dinner does not take very long when you areall by yourself, and very soon she sat down cozilyin the corner of a sofa, and began to think aboutthe charming Prince she had seen in her dream.
He said I could make him happy, said Beauty toherself. It seems, then, that this horrible beastkeeps him a prisoner. How could I set him free? Iwonder why they both told me not to trust toappearances? I don't understand it.
But, after all, it was only a dream, so why shouldI trouble myself about it? I had better go andfind something to do to amuse myself.
So she got up and began to explore some of themany rooms of the palace. The first she enteredwas lined with mirrors, and Beauty saw herselfreflected on every side, and thought she had neverseen such a charming room.
Then a bracelet which was hanging from a chandelier caught her eye, and on taking it down she wasgreatly surprised to find that it held a portraitof her unknown admirer, just as she had seen himin her dream.
With great delight she slipped the bracelet on herarm, and went on into a gallery of pictures, whereshe soon found a portrait of the same handsomePrince, as large as life, and so well painted thatas she studied it he seemed to smile kindly ather.
Tearing herself away from the portrait at last,she passed through into a room which containedevery musical instrument under the sun, and hereshe amused herself for a long while in trying someof them, and singing until she was tired.
The next room was a library, and she saweverything she had ever wanted to read, as well aseverything she had read, and it seemed to her thata whole lifetime would not be enough to even readthe names of the books, there were so many.
By this time it was growing dusk, and wax candlesin diamond and ruby candlesticks were beginning tolight themselves in every room.
Beauty found her supper served just at the timeshe preferred to have it, but she did not seeanyone or hear a sound, and, though her father hadwarned her that she would be alone, she began tofind it rather dull.
But presently she heard the Beast coming, andwondered tremblingly if he meant to eat her upnow.
However, as he did not seem at all ferocious, andonly said gruffly.
Good evening, Beauty, she answered cheerfully andmanaged to conceal her terror.
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Then the Beast asked her how she had been amusingherself, and she told him all the rooms she hadseen.
Then he asked if she thought she could be happy inhis palace, and Beauty answered that everythingwas so beautiful that she would be very hard toplease if she could not be happy.
And after about an hour's talk Beauty began tothink that the Beast was not nearly so terrible asshe had supposed at first.
Then he got up to leave her, and said in his gruffvoice.
Do you love me, Beauty? Will you marry me?
Oh! What shall I say? cried Beauty, for she wasafraid to make the Beast angry by refusing.
Say yes or no without fear, he replied.
Oh! No, Beast, said Beauty hastily.
Since you will not, good night, Beauty, he said.
And she answered, good night, Beast, very glad tofind that her refusal had not provoked him.
And after he was gone she was very soon in bed andasleep, and dreaming of her unknown prince.
She thought he came and said to her.
Ah, Beauty! Why are you so unkind to me? I fear Iam fated to be unhappy for many a long day still.
And then her dreams changed, but the charmingprince figured in them all, and when morning cameher first thought was to look at the portrait, andsee if it was really like him, and she found thatit certainly was.
This morning she decided to amuse herself in thegarden, for the sun shone, and all the fountainswere playing, but she was astonished to find thatevery place was familiar to her, and presently shecame to the brook where the myrtle trees weregrowing where she had first met the prince in herdream, and that made her think more than ever thathe must be kept a prisoner by the Beast.
When she was tired she went back to the palace,and found a new room full of materials for everykind of work, ribbons to make into bows, and silksto work into flowers.
Then there was an aviary full of rare birds, whichwere so tame that they flew to Beauty as soon asthey saw her, and perched upon her shoulders andher head.
Pretty little creatures, she said, how I wish thatyour cage was nearer to my room, that I mightoften hear you sing.
So saying she opened a door, and found, to herdelight, that it led into her own room, though shehad thought it was quite the other side of thepalace.
There were more birds in her room farther on, parrots and cockatoos that could talk, and theygreeted Beauty by name, indeed, she found them soentertaining that she took one or two back to herroom, and they talked to her while she was atsupper, after which the Beast paid her his usualvisit, and asked her the same questions as before,and then with a gruff goodnight he took hisdeparture, and Beauty went to bed to dream of hermysterious prince.
The days passed swiftly in different amusements,and after a while Beauty found out another strangething in the palace, which often pleased her whenshe was tired of being alone.
There was one room which she had not noticedparticularly, it was empty, except that under eachof the windows stood a very comfortable chair, andthe first time she had looked out of the window ithad seemed to her that a black curtain preventedher from seeing anything outside.
But the second time she went into the room,happening to be tired, she sat down in one of thechairs, when instantly the curtain was rolledaside, and a most amusing pantomime was actedbefore her, there were dances, and colouredlights, and music, and pretty dresses, and it wasall so gay that Beauty was in ecstasies.
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After that she tried the other seven windows inturn, and there was some new and surprisingentertainment to be seen from each of them, sothat Beauty never could feel lonely anymore.
Every evening after supper the Beast came to seeher, and always before saying goodnight asked herin his terrible voice.
Beauty, will you marry me?
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